Pieces of Sky, by Tomo Nakayama

Pieces of Sky

by Tomo Nakayama

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Aisling Smith This is my emotional state at any given time in album form. I absolutely love everything about it. Favorite track: Make Me a Bird.

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Our House (from "House of Ninjas"), Harvest Moon, where is home : third shore, Contigo, Apple Tree, Live at the Duck Room, 04/26/2019, Live at Home, Tick Tock (Acoustic), and 13 more. , and , .

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1.	Bright and Blue 02:58	lyrics	buy track
When the night is wild and new When the world has come unglued When I see that naked moon It’s all bright and blue You’re the one I’m thinking of Down below or far above Soft and still, my lover singing All bright and blue Heard you in the atmosphere Felt you when the words weren’t clear Saw you in the morning air It’s all bright and blue Bright and blue Bright and blue There’re some folks who live estranged There’re some things you cannot change There are some people you must live without But heaven knows what I would be If you were not here with me If the road ahead didn’t lead me Home, back to you We’re all bright and blue Yes we’re all bright and blue Bright and blue
2.	Roma 03:47	lyrics	buy track
Leaning against the lonesome olive tree Time is a bending light that follows me Turning over every stone Every heart I’ve ever known Buildings upon the hillside glittering Drunks in the early morning stumbling Through the dawn we wander on Stay with me, won’t you, baby Oh, the church bells ring loud and clear Oh, let them sing your name into the air Home, now with Virgil, Roma bleeds Circling above to Dido’s elegy Sending smoke from distant shores Turnus come, lay down your sword Think of me only, baby Oh, let the west winds blow loud and clear Oh, let them sing your name for all to hear Roma bleeds Roma bleeds Roma bleeds Think of me only, baby Roma bleeds Roma bleeds
3.	Undying Light 04:29	lyrics	buy track
I see the winds out on the ocean I feel the waves come crashing in We sailed along on stormy waters We sailed along thy seas I’ll see you there, my old companion And where you go, I’ll go with thee We walked along on barren valleys We walked along thy streets No more fear and no more lies All in love’s undying light All illusions, all in sight All in love’s undying light Long is the wait we are forgetting Here is the wage of memory We shed our skins, our old beginnings We’ll shed the weight of sin So greet me there, my old companion (Counting all the ripples in the water) And where you grow, I’ll grow with thee (Staring at the mountains and the seas) We’ll walk along our own dominion (Diamonds in the center of your eyes, dear) We’ll walk along so free (Bring your guiding hand again to me) No more fear and no more lies All in love’s undying light All illusions cast aside All in love’s undying light All, here in the day, here in the daylight All, All in the day, all in the daylight All, All in the day, here in the daylight All, all in the day, all in the daylight
4.	My Life is Better Because You Are In It 03:28	lyrics	buy track
You know, you must know So I’m telling you now You know, you must know But I’m telling you anyhow You know, you must know You must hear this all the time You know, you must know But I’m telling you every time “My life is better because you are in it.” You hear, do you hear me? Don’t ever forget You hear, do you hear me? Don’t ever forget “I love you more than I could ever express.” You know life can be heavy And you can be such a mess You know people can be so cruel And we have our share of fights, I guess But you are worth all of this Cos I love you more than I could ever express. “I love you more than I could ever express.” You know, you must know You must hear it all the time You know, you must know But I don’t think you get it So I’ll say it again: “My life is better because you are in it.” “My life is better because you are in it.” “My life is better because you were in it.” “My life is better because you are in it.”
5.	Pieces of Sky 04:15	lyrics	buy track
Earth is big and the seas are blue There’s so much that I want to show you Evening falls on a clear white moon I can’t wait til the daylight holds you Lately seems like the world’s on fire Lately feels like the truth don’t matter All I care about is the kind of place We might leave for our sons and daughters Will I feel turned around When the pieces of sky are falling down What will I leave to be found By your eyes By your eyes There’s only so much that we can do All we have is our given moment Hit the lights when we clear this room Leave it cleaner than when we found it Will I feel changed around When the pieces of sky are coming down Will I live in the sound Bye and bye Bye and bye Earth is big and the seas are blue Icebergs crumble into the water Nature’s older than me or you She’ll outlive all our foolishness Will I feel turned around When the pieces of sky are falling down What will I leave in the ground When I die When I die Will I feel changed around When the pieces of sky come raining down When I leave, could I say That I tried That I tried
6.	Fourth of Julivar's 04:29	lyrics	buy track
Sat in the dark on some patio chairs on the rooftop We closed our eyes on the Fourth of July as we kissed All of the neighborhood kids lighting fireworks in the sky All of the neighborhood cars heading home as they’re rolling by Walked in the park by the lake where we danced in the moonlight We carved our names on a bench with the edge of my key It said “forever”, and I mean forever with you, love Will you be here with me, always be near with me, will you love? Say yes, say yes Say yes, say yes You look so pretty now, standing in your wedding dress Glowing so bright in the soft summer light through the kitchen window How many mornings will we spend here waking together? How many evenings will we spend in each other’s eyes? Say yes, say yes Say yes, say yes Say yes, say yes Say yes, say yes
7.	I Will Not Be Moved 03:17	lyrics	buy track
I belong to the early morning Papers come and pipers going I belong to the early morning When you come you’ll find me yawning I will not be scared I will not be scared Come and go, you come and leave me Common names for all the same things we express Days will come and days we’re leaving Oh my love I know we’re leaving Anyway. I will not be moved I will not be moved I will not be moved I will not be moved Anywhere. Anywhere.
8.	Walking for Two 02:35	lyrics	buy track
When I think that I’m all alone When I feel like there’s nowhere to go She’s by my side, there to remind me: I’m walking for two When the weight is heavy and cold When I feel my legs turning to stone She calls my name, always to find me I’m walking for two Walking For too many years I’ve been hiding Behind all the reasons to quit If you can’t change for yourself Then you damn well better Do it for someone you love Now I know that I’ve got a home Now I know I’m never alone She’s by my side, long as she’s with me I’m walking for two She’s by my side, there to remind me: I’m walking for two I’m walking for two Walking for two
9.	Make Me a Bird 04:14	lyrics	buy track
Sundown, leaving Turn me over Make me a bird to fly high Sorrow, be gentle Help me be kind Make me a bird to fly high High I held my breath As you turned down the light Head under water, I find All our tomorrows from yesterday’s vines Sing so me sweet, a lullabye High High High Every day, every day that I’m alive Every day, every day that I’m alive Every day, every day that I’m alive Every day, every day that I’m alive Sun down, leaving Turn me around Bid me a long goodnight Time make me tender Love make me kind Make me a bird
10.	All Entwined 02:58	lyrics	buy track
Gathering the stones we laid in stormy weather Hallowed is the song we sang through tears together All we found, all we leave All entwined Hollowing the log we felled in love’s endeavour Following the setting sun, I do remember All we have, all we need All in time Time marches on On On And when we are lost Will you call me? And follow It follows Gold and bright Embrace Embrace the light.
11.	I Will Not Be Moved (Sovan Remix) 03:09	info	buy track
12.	Birthdaysong (Bonus Track) 02:51		buy track

about

Pieces of Sky

Since releasing his previous album, every few days Tomo Nakayama has pushed his guitar through the X-ray machine, re-laced his shoes and set up behind a microphone amidst the arrivals and departures at the Seattle/Tacoma Airport. Much like a piano-man in the rotunda or a fiddler in the Underground, Tomo collects his belongings, counts his earnings, and clocks out at the end of the shift. Throughout this process of returning, Nakayama’s 1st Act as an artist and musician (for more than 20 years) has now, in many ways, transformed to a state of second nature.

Brian Eno coined the term “ambient music” in the liner notes of his release, Music for Airports in 1979 — stating that it was “intended to induce calm and a space to think.” Although Nakayama’s Pieces of Sky is vastly different from Eno’s in tone and structure, its effect and context might ultimately be best described as, “airport music.”

The themes of Pieces of Sky reflect a man existing somewhere between terminals, amongst the honeymooners, home-comers, mourners, and the endless hum of televised news. As thousands of passengers walk by, some give a gentle grin, some deliver offerings and accolades, some pass hurriedly as if Nakayama resembled a potted fern. But the fragments of Tomo’s music which manage to attach themselves all emit the same effect that Eno described in his own music — they induce a space to think.

The sequencing of the album itself is a set of interval arrivals and departures for Nakayama as a songwriter. The first track, “Bright and Blue” opens with an established voice and tone that the singer has carved out over the last two decades - it’s anchored and confident, but leaves just enough of an opening for the vocals and instrumentation to begin their ascent into new territory. “Roma” expands on this idea as Tomo sings over a lush bed of strings and piano, pushing his voice to an urgent and vulnerable height until it feels like it might shatter through the cracks completely. “Undying Light,” finds Nakayama exploring the parameters of relying on a single chord throughout the song, and the result is remarkably one of the songwriter’s most intricate sounding compositions to date. The axis point of the album is the title track “Pieces of Sky,” which manages to embody all of Nakayama’s qualities as an artist up to this point — taking a complex subject and making it feel simple and attainable, while weaving intricate guitar patterns through an ethereal field. From there, the album maintains this design of alternating from a foreign place to the familiar, but through the process of repeating, a sort of “stripping away” takes place and a new side of Nakayama emerges. As the organic textures continue to yield to electronic ambience, you reach the final track “All Entwined,” which ultimately leaves you with a sense of looking at the complicated world from somewhere high above, at zero gravity.

So now that Tomo Nakayama’s airport residency has come to pass and its effects have been printed on wax, the best listening experience of this album might be in some real or imagined take-off from the Earth’s surface, above the ominous clouds which may or may not ever reach down — in the aspirins of immaculate air.

Liner notes: Grant Olsen

credits

released September 8, 2017

All songs written by Tomo Nakayama (Ricebelly Music BMI, copyright 2017)
Produced, recorded, and mixed by Tomo Nakayama
Mixing and Casio SK-1 on “Bright and Blue” by Yuuki Matthews
Violin and viola on “Roma” by Alex Guy
Mastered by Ed Brooks at Resonant Mastering
Vinyl preparation by Levi Seitz at Black Belt Mastering
Art and design by Frida Clements

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Tomo Nakayama Seattle, Washington

"When music journalists say things like 'this artist is a fixture in Seattle music,' there’s probably no one right now who fits that title better than Nakayama." - KEXP

Born in Japan and raised in Seattle, Washington, Tomo Nakayama is an artist whose melodic, complex and emotionally compelling music has been praised by NPR, New York Times, and KEXP. ... more

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May 16

Kings Hall at Apex Art and Culture Center

Everett, WA
Jun 7

Town Hall Seattle

Seattle, WA

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